Hi, my name is Alisa McKinney. I am a retiered U.S. Army SGT. My grandfather served in Operation Ivy. I am a graphic design student with Wilmington University. I am currently writing and producing a documentary on Operation Ivy. Not only for my class but to help my grandfather with his VA claim. Please anybody that served in Operation Ivy contact me. If you wore a badge and was on the Island, please, please contact me.
Thanks so much,
Alisa Mckinney
alisamckinney83@gmail.com or 719-313-6119

Three weeks before turning 21 I was on the bow of Estes (GC-12) at about 0645 with an F-56 aerial camera sporting a 40" telephoto lens. Camera loaded with 40' of direct-positive color film. Filters with step decreases from 4.0 neutral density down to 0.05 were installed in front of the lens with pull tabs to be removed at pre-determined intervals. The AEC ended up with 50
over-exposured mushroom photos not suitable for publication. Google "Enewetak" - go to the 10 or 11 oclock position of the atoll and see a crater about 6,200' wide, 165' deep. Looking for responses from any and all shipmates present on Nov. 1, 1952 Dick @ dick.hale@comcast.net

watch a loop of hydro's exploding. Mesmerizing.

Just think;this test took place over 50 years ago. Imagine the destruction a modern nuclear weapon,one thats had 50 years of evolution could do. Here's hoping we never have to find out!

and all they can think of is to drop their devil bomb in it. atmospheric testing has long range effects that they not let you know about.the matter contaminated by these tests are radioactive for long time, one speck of dust inhakled and you got lung cancer sooner or later. Now as to the use of depleted uranium which is a war crime which amelika govt ignores wityh impunity,the whole mideast is contaminated for very long time, also the soldiers shooting it as well.the fire bombing of japan and germany was a fisrt in warfare of deliberate targheting of civilian populations by english and amelikan policy.War is of no use to the people who do the dying and fighting. it only is manipualted and funded by international bankers who happen to be all of the jewish religion.the atomic weapons was invented by the jews.So dont join they are in full knowledge of the deopeleted uranium they use so much of,to shooter and shot.

These official documentaries were not shown on TV. They were distributed to schools and universities, and to clubs and organizations. (When I was head of a school club in the '60s, I remember looking through a government catalog and requesting one of these documentaries for use in our club meeting.)

I've got a question. How were short documentaries like this one, and numerous others spread? Were they broadcast on TV? I'm writing a paper on this kind of propaganda. Clarification would be invaluable.

Ah yes,
I remember the days of sipping tea, wearing my nappy shorts and silly hat, while waiting for the big blast. Where are those good times today? When there are so many happy people needing a good nuking?

I am so sick of people who look back on history with "god-like" vision! You know who I'm talking about, I don't have to point the finger.
I knew a girl who was very anti-war and Liberal who asked "why did they invade Iwo Jima and get thousands of people killed when the war was almost over?" After recovering from the shock of her ignorance, I replied; "Because they didn't KNOW the war was almost over. Because they weren't smart enough to look in a history book like YOU did!"

This film accomplished its goal, that is clear but what I do not understand is why, why would any person, group, country, planet, create something terrible and then tell others that it is a good thing to have such a terrible weapon. Is any ideology so terrible so evil that it is worth poisoning the earth for thousands of years?
Is a thought process really cause to liquefy a country and everyone and everything even down to the ants in the ground and birds in the sky? Who are we to allow anyone to hold such a device and then threaten our own people that if this tool of massive killing were to get away from us, it would surely be used against us. How do we know that for sure, how do we know that anyone could ever see fit to make a moonscape of this place just because. If it were put to a vote, if the people could be shown this video before such a device were made, if they could be asked. "Can, should we make this?" would the people say yes? I would say no, On some level i think that we as a people should be ashamed that we introduced this to humanity. Other than that it was a good movie considering that all the guys were just regular folks.

the biggest enemy is the enemy within:>
target it!

I was aboard the USS Rendova for the Ivy test. This is the first time I have seen the video of the operation. It brought back memories of an awesome experience.
I appreciate this bit of history and a reminder of my Navy years. My only comment is one I have stated often, it is my prayer that our nation will never experience an Atomic attack. This is further reason why we need to understand we are subject to enemies today who would use an Atomic weapon if they have the means. It is to bad that so many in America do not understand what we are facing.

I find the comments sited interesting. I was there. To discribe the event in a short writing is "impossible". The heat, bright light, shock waves, fallout and more would make a book. It all happened in fifteen seconds. Its like mom spending 2 month preparing for Christmas dinner, allgone in twenty minutes. It was awsome, beautiful, emotionaly devistating, and reduced my veiw that "people count" to "0". I will add that, I am not alone in this feeling.

Much of this was obviously staged by nonprofessional actors, and it's quite a hoot. For example, at the beginning the narrator says it's one hour to shot time. Ivy Mike was fired just after local dawn, yet it's clearly mid-day when these scenes were filmed!

I'd like to say how we apreciate this movie me and my child. Thanks for this opportunity.
Regards

rgfare

I remember my father taking me to the Grant Heights Theater in Tokyo, Japan, early in 1953 to see War of the Worlds, and him staying for this short feature which was shown before the feature presentation.
He said that he sat with me thru it, so that I "wouldn't be scared," but I know he wanted to see it, too.
For myself, I thought it was pretty cool, and, you know what...it still is.
The truly frightening thing: sizewise...this was NOTHING! Thank God that for the most part, the world is a bit smarter this day and age. There are the odd exceptions of course.
Pray!

Remember Dr. Strangelove?
Everybody loves a good mushroom cloud!!!

Not bad overview of the Bikini Atoll tests.. This almost looks like it's 3 films. The first features a guy on a ship that is witnessing the blast, and has interviews with people involved with measuring the blasts, and the camera goes into 'meetings' about it, but they look faked. It's just a wee bit too technical for my tastes.. After the blast hits (great pics by the way), we go on to the 2nd part, which tells us how large the bomb really was by using nice looking animation. The crater the bomb left could fit 12 pentagons, if you get my drift. The third part features a atomic energy flacky telling us about why we need these tests and how we hope we don't need to use them and blah blah blah. This lecture was the more boring of the 3 parts. Otherwise not bad. But there are far more interesting 'bomb' movies on the archive.

This film was featured - minimally edited, and with the same old music - in Trinity and Beyond: The Atomic Bomb Movie (Peter Kuran's exquisite 1995 documentary).
So go ahead and watch this source film, and then go find a copy of that documentary. Both are essential records of the darker side of our scientific and military past, and both present very capably a major turning point in human history that just happened to take place on Halloween.

An interesting little short subject about the first hydrogen bomb test. It has a good cautionary message for us today.
Recomended

A documentary about the first H-bomb test at Eniwetok atoll. Frightening stuff.